Ethereal
by LadyLight0105
Summary: Sometimes, all you need is a push off a cliff. EdmundXOC SusanXCaspian, other pairings to be decided
1. Prologue

Author's Note: This is my first Chronicles of Narnia fanfiction, so if there is any inconsistencies or whatever, please comment on it =)

Disclaimer: I do not own anything except for some characters and the plot. I love CS Lewis, and his work is just simply breathtaking.

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><p><strong>PROLOGUE<strong>

**CLIFF DIVING, ANYONE?**

Irene looked down the cliff, into the water. She really did not like heights.

"I don't think this is such a good idea, Michael," she said, she thought her voice sounded shaky, but she couldn't be certain, her heart was pounding too loud in her chest.

"It's going to be fine, Irene," Michael said, very reassuringly, but, of course, she wasn't the least bit assured.

Irene shivered slightly, it was quite windy on top of the cliff. Her dyed black hair was whipping all over her face, and for a moment she was thankful for its short length. It was getting steadily colder, and she was quite sure that the white sheer blouse she was wearing on top of her red one piece swimsuit and black surfing shorts was not going to keep her warm.

She wrapped her arms around herself in an attempt to keep herself warm enough. It wasn't working.

Michael and their friends were behind her, laughing about who was to go dive off the edge first. William decided to go first, and Irene stood next to Michael as William broke into a run to the edge. As he ran his friends cheered for him, and so did Irene, for a while at least.

Lisa followed, and then James. One by one they all jumped over the edge, until it was only Irene and Michael left on top of the cliff.

"Go on, Irene," Michael urged, placing a hand on her upper back, "you're definitely going before I do, you didn't jump last time."

She, being Irene and all, just swallowed and looked over the edge once more. There was a rubber boat waiting at the bottom, and most of their friends were there already. Her heart was beating so loudly, she barely heard Michael approach behind her.

"Would you feel any better if I pushed you off?" Michael asked nonchalantly, and Irene had to glance up at him to see if he was serious. He was.

She looked down again, though she knew it was very safe to jump off, for there were no rocks at the bottom, she still feared the sensation of falling itself. And for the umpteenth time that day, she thought how the idea of cliff diving was the most horrible one Michael had ever come up with.

For his sake she would, of course, jump. He had been pleading her to jump several times now. For a while, she had utterly refused, but then she was finally too tired to refuse and gave in, how hard could it be? But she hadn't jumped at all. She was being a coward.

Heights terrified her and she was horrified at the mere suggestion of going over the edge, with nothing to catch her but the water below.

Inhale. Exhale. Repeat.

She backed away, breathing. She stood there for a while, and when she had bothered to notice, Michael was nowhere in sight.

Suddenly, she was knocked off her feet, and was being carried by Michael, one arm hooked to the back of her knees, and the other was around her back.

"What are you doing, Mic—AAARRRGGGHHH!" she wasn't able to finish as her sentence became a scream toward the end as Michael ran toward the edge.

She flailed her arms and legs, but to no avail. He wouldn't budge, or drop her before it was too late to do so.

Irene had thought that Michael would jump with her in his arms.

No such luck.

As they neared the edge, he threw her forward and off the edge of the cliff, into the water below, kicking and screaming.

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><p>Author's Note: That's about it =) Next chapter to be uploaded in the next couple of hours =)<p> 


	2. Chapter 1

**Author's Note**: I forgot to mention, the characters are in book-verse, but the way they look are from the movies =)

Disclaimer: The only thing I own here are some character, mainly Irene, and the plot. Nothing else.

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 1<strong>

**WHERE ARE YOU, MICHAEL?**

Edmund Pevensie, the Just King of Narnia, had just finished what he could swear was _the_ longest meeting of hi life.

He could all blame this on his kind soul.

Why did he have to volunteer? Why did he have to take pity on Peter? Why did he have to be so nice to Caspian? Stupid Caspian and stupid Susan for having their stupid engagement picnic today of all days. Then he felt pity for Peter, who was obviously exhausted. So he had just _had_ to volunteer for this Archenland meeting of renewing the treaties. Bless his kind soul.

It was now mid-afternoon, and he was headed for the stables, to fetch his horse, so he could still catch up for the picnic. The picnic was situated on the shores of the beaches of Cair Paravel, which was now their home, for it was rebuilt after Caspian's coronation.

It had been eight years since the coronation. Eight years since Aslan had let them stay in Narnia, to rule alongside Caspian.

He arrived at the stables and picked his usual horse, named Rinard, a horse with a brown cover of fur. He often remembered Philip when seeing Rinard.

"How are you today, Rinard?" Edmund asked as he carefully saddled the horse.

"Fine as always, my liege," Rinard replied, "though, I must say that is is getting quite noisy in the stables as of late."

"Bear with it for now, my friend," Edmund replied securing the saddle, " the messengers are returning, as is usual this time of year," he grinned as he mounted the horse, "and, I'm guessing, very soon, these stables will be filled with messengers again, ready to set out."

Rinard chuckled as only a horse could chuckle, "the marriage of our beloved Queen and valued King is one the whole country must celebrate, my king."

Edmund simply smiled in return, urging Rinard to head for the beach.

He reached the beach minutes later, but as he rode towards the picnic blanket where Susan and Caspian were, he noticed something in the water.

He called to Peter, who was playing with Lucy, splashing each other. He left Rinard to his own devices, knowing that the horse wouldn't go far.

"Peter, do you see that thing in the water?" Edmund said squinting his eyes and pointing.

"Yes, Ed," Peter replied, looking at whatever it was curiously. It was getting closer and closer to the shore. It looked to be human, but they couldn't be sure. They instinctively drew their swords.

The creature emerged from the water, it was a human woman. She looked around first, and then noticed them. She headed toward them.

"What is going on here?" The woman demanded.

She ran her pale fair hands through her short wet black hair, getting it out of her face.

"Do you know where you are, milady?" Peter asked, still holding his sword, Rhindon.

The woman looked harmless, but they couldn't take any chances.

"Do you know where _you_ are?" The woman replied haughtily.

"Do you know who you're speaking to?" Caspian said. He came to stand next to them, Susan and Lucy were there to, forming a semi circle a couple of yards in front of the woman.

Realization seemed to dawn on the woman, her eyes widened, and her mouth opened in shock, then she closed her eyes and let out a long sigh.

"I know exactly what is going on here," the woman said accusingly. For a while, Edmund believed that she did.

"Do you?" Susan said skeptically, inclining her head.

"Of course," the woman replied, very certain.

They paused and looked at one another. This was getting odder and odder by the moment. But then again, they were in Narnia.

"That bloody bastard," the woman muttered, Edmund was shocked for a moment, hearing a woman curse, and the others were probably shocked as well, "MICHAEL!"

Michael?

Edmund looked at Peter, who had the same confused look that was probably evident on his won face.

"Michael?" Lucy repeated.

The woman raised her voice, walking towards them, look at their surroundings.

"Ha. Ha. Michael, you're absolutely hilarious," she said, despite her words, her voice was quite monotonous, and she was dead serious. She was looking through the caves and woods, "I swear, this is the best one yet."

She looked at Edmund, then to the others. He saw that her eyes were grey, like the clouds when there was a storm.

With her raised voice and dead serious expression, she continued, "you had me there for a while, Michael, but I'm really not in the mood to play any of your games, or go through one of your pranks."

The royals exchanged glances once again. The woman continued her monologue.

"You and your cameras can come out now, Michael," she sighed, bowing her head, "I'm very tired, and I just want to go home right now."

"Milady, I think you're very confused at the moment," Peter said, for she was already in front of him. He slightly lowered his sword, but not completely.

The woman looked at him, her face showing her weariness and her ire quite clearly, "please stop, I'm not in the mood to do any of this right now," she looked at Rhindon, "and stop pointing that tin sword at me," she tried to move it away, like swatting a fly with the back of her hand.

She hissed sharply, and stepped back, falling to her knees, cradling her hand over her chest.

"What the fuck, Michael?" She shouted angrily, "I'm impressed about the sword, but I'm no longer amused by this! You're using a fucking real sword for some stupid prank!"

"Milady, you're in Narnia," Caspian said, concerned for the woman.

She looked at him, exasperated, "really?" Her voice and expression showed that she was starting to get very very annoyed, "you guys couldn't even come up with something more creative than Narnia? Everybody knows about Narnia. You're actors for crying out loud!"

Edmund saw Trufflehunter the Badger from the corner of his eye approaching behind Peter.

"But, milady, you really are in Narnia," Peter said. He sheathed his sword, and Edmund lowered his. The woman looked to be just very confused about where she was.

"Yes!" She exclaimed, her voice dripping with sarcasm, "and I'm a talking badger!"

"Are you?" Lucy asked.

Edmund rolled his eyes. Leave it to Lucy to miss sarcasm.

"You don't look like one," Lucy continued, giggling.

The woman looked at Lucy with utter disbelief.

Just then, Trufflehunter appeared, coming up next to Peter.

"Milords! Urgent news has just arrived," he said.

Everyone looked at Trufflehunter, but Edmund's attention didn't leave the woman.

Her mouth was wide open, her eyes at its widest, her face fixed with an expression of utter shock. Her next words were said in a whisper, barely heard, but were heard nonetheless. "It's a talking badger."

Then the very odd cursing woman fainted dead away.

"Goodness," Susan ran to the unconscious woman, she looked at Edmund, "do you think she's from England?"

Caspian went to speak with Trufflehunter, Susan and Lucy knelt beside the woman. Edmund just stood there, not knowing exactly what to do. So he just answered Susan.

"By the way she speaks," he replied as he neared to woman, "it is very likely she came from England. Where else could she possibly have come from?"

"Susan, put your cloak over her," Peter instructed, "she's probably freezing."

Only then did Edmund notice what she was wearing. It was a swimsuit, but not anything he'd ever seen before, she was wearing shorts and a sheer blouse that was now clinging to her skin.

He looked away. Just where exactly did this woman come from?

As Susan did what Peter instructed, Lucy looked up at him.

"I think Aslan sent her," she said with all the seriousness in her eyes and voice.

Edmund's heart sank. If that was the case, then there was trouble. Or there was going to be trouble.

And this woman was going to play a major role in it.

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><p>Irene opened her eyes, a tad bit disoriented, and very hungry.<p>

It was very dark, and she couldn't see a thing in the room, or wherever it is she was.

She looked to the side and could see a faint line of light on what must have been under the door.

She felt her way off the bed and headed for the door, guided by the light. Once she opened the door, her mind remembered.

The talking badger. Narnia.

She quietly entered the corridor and closed the door to the room she was in. She looked down and was not amused at what she was wearing. A white nightdress, and on top was a purple velvet robe. Her feet were bare, but the stone floor was not as uncomfortable as she would have thought, it was not was cold as she would've imagined. She looked around, the hallway was lit with torches attached to the wall. There was no one there.

Irene walked along the corridor, to the end of the hallway, which led to another hallway. She looked to the left first, no one was there. But when she looked to the right, she thought that the lights must have gone out. Then she realized that the blackness was a _something_.

Did she even dare look up?

Apparently, her mind and body were no longer in kahoots with each other. As she looked up, she made eye contact with a bull, who was standing on its hind legs, looking very, very menacing.

Naturally, she screamed her heart out, and then, thank God her wits were still about her, she ran as fast as her feet would take her to the room where she had woken up in. She shut the door and moved away, assured that no one was on the other side.

When her eyes had grown accustomed to the darkness, she saw a very faint light on one side of the room, which she had guessed to be the window. She walked toward it and drew the curtains apart and to the side. With the light streaming in from there, she went and sat on the bed.

This all had to be a dream. And there was only one way to wake her up.

She slapped herself. Hard. Several times.

While she did feel absolutely silly and ridiculous at what she was doing, at least no one was there to see it. But then she had been wrong about that, too.

The door opened, and she stopped mid-slap and a man came in.

He was tall and fair. His hair and eyes were dark. And he was quite handsome, too. He had on, like the first time she saw him, a silver crown on his head. He was wearing a long-sleeved blue shirt, a brown vest, brown trousers and black boots. He was looking curiously at Irene.

"Is anything wrong? I heard you scream," he asked looking around the room, his eyes fell on her again, and she could only stare back, frozen in her current position, "what are you doing? Your cheeks are quite red," he paused as he strode towards her, "were you just slapping yourself?"

Well, it's not like she could get out of it now. She was caught red-handed, literally. She was very much going to regret this later on.

"Where I come from," she started, very slowly, formulating thoughts in her head to explain the very odd behavior she just exhibited, "it's a ritual for after one wake up."

Yes, she was very much going to regret this whole conversation. Starting now.

It seemed logical, but she just kept babbling on. "It... it... it... gives... rosy cheeks! As you can see," she motioned to her face, the look he gave her made her add, "it'll tone down later."

She stood up and paced the room, making exaggerated arm gestures.

"It also helps to wake one up in the morning," she continued, nodding her head, "yes, and... and... and..." she stopped, her arms to her side and glared at him, "I can't believe you've never heard of it!"

He looked at her in amusement, his lips curved into a smirk, and his eyes in laughter. She glared at him even more.

"You're a very terrible liar, milady," he said.

"I don't need to be a very good liar," she retorted, "this is all a dream," she folded her arms over her chest and raised her chin defiantly.

He didn't say anything, but he did continue to stare at her. It unnerved her.

She looked at the window and sighed, unfolding her arms, "I was trying to wake myself up." She went to the window and leaned on the frame, looking at him.

"Did it work?" The man asked.

She pursed her lips, "obviously not."

He opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by the sound of footsteps outside, getting closer and closer to the room.

Irene looked to the door and soon enough, two men and two women came into view and entered tho room.

"What happened?" Said the blonde haired male, Irene could not see his eyes in the current lighting, but she imagined it to be blue. She saw that he wore a golden crown on his head.

Then she remembered what had happened a tad bit earlier.

"I screamed because I saw..." she racked her brain to come up with the right word to describe what she had seen, "a-a... bull... standing on its hind legs. I was spooked an all."

They all visibly relaxed.

"That was a minotaur," the man with the Latino accent said, "they're guards to the castle."

"Of course," Irene muttered to herself, "there's a talking badger, and so there must also be a minotaur for the castle."

She looked at them and realized that she did not know any of their names. But she did have a guess as to what their names were. Of course she had read the books.

She looked at the blonde haired man, and she said uncertainly, "Peter?" He seemed surprised to find out that she knew his name, she looked to the older girl, the one with dark hair and eyes, "Susan?" She had the same reaction and Irene knew that she was correct. She looked at the light haired girl, and with more certainty, she said, "Lucy," and then she looked at the silver crowned man, "Edmund," and then to the Latino accented man, "Caspian."

Though she knew that she couldn't possibly be right, but she felt to the bone how right she was. She sighed.

Shit. This dream was getting weirder and weirder.

"You know our names," Susan said, "but we do not know yours."

"Irene," she replied, "Irene Cade."

"And you are from?" Lucy asked, taking a seat next to Edmund, who had sat down on the bed.

"I was born in Hertfordshire, England," Irene answered. She knew it was probably most unwise that she was telling so much about herself to people she just met, who were just literary characters to her.

But this was a dream. She could do whatever the fuck she wanted.

"How is it in England?" Susan asked, a small smile gracing her lips.

If they really were the Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy of the books, then of course they came from England. Though, she realized, the books ended _very_ differently from what was supposedly happening at the moment.

"It's the year 2012," Irene replied. She had looked at Peter when she had said this, and she could see that he was saddened by the news. She hated being the bearer of ill news.

"Really?" Lucy said after a while of silence.

Irene could only nod in reply.

Silence fell among them.

After a while, she felt a sort of pain in her stomach and remembered that she was hungry. She hadn't eaten anything since hours before cliff diving.

She then decided to be the shameless person she really wasn't, "you lot wouldn't happen to have any bread, would you? I'm absolutely famished."

Susan looked alarmed for a moment, "of course! Shame on us for not feeding you," she moved towards Irene and grabbed her hand, pulling her towards the door, "you'll have to eat with us." Peter, Edmund, Lucy and Caspian all headed toward the door.

Irene drew her hand back, "I couldn't possibly intrude." It was getting very awkward.

Lucy opened her mouth to protest, but Edmund, who had come to stand beside Irene, beat her to it.

"We insist, milady," he said, smiling softly at her, "my sisters would stop at nothing to get you there," he paused as if remembering something, then continued, "trust me."

After a brief moment of hesitation, she nodded.

While heading to the dining hall, they walked in pairs. Caspian and Susan were in front, talking in soft voices and occasionally laughing. Edmund and Peter were next, talking about something Irene couldn't quite understand in a serious manner. Which then left her and Lucy at the back.

They didn't speak much, but Irene could tell that Lucy had wanted to say something by the way she opened and closed her mouth, looking at Irene. But Irene was thankful she hadn't said anything, because Irene was trying desperately hard to think.

Could this really _not_ be a dream? Because her mind was telling her that it _was_ a dream. But she felt in her heart that everything happening was quite real.

The pain while she had been slapping herself was very real. The pain when she had gotten a cut was quite painful, but now that she remembered, she noticed that her hand was completely fine, no scratches, no indication of injury.

She looked at her hand curiously, flexing it, clenching it to a fist and then opening it wide. She was very sure that there had been a cut there earlier.

"What in the world?" She muttered under her breath, which she was doing quite a lot today.

"Your hand's been healed," Lucy said looking at Irene's hand, "it's good as new."

"Ho-" she stopped herself as she remembered that Lucy had a cordial, a diamond cordial, if she remembered correctly, that could heal any injury. Instead, she just said, "thank you, Lucy."

"You're welcome," Lucy fell silent, and then awkwardly said, "are you alright? You seem a bit... lost."

"I'll be fine," Irene paused, "maybe just not now."

The conversation was cut short because they had reached the dining hall.

Irene thought that the room looked a lot like medieval dining halls in pictures that she had seen. Stone walls, candle chandeliers, and a long wooded table and wooden chairs. And yet, imagining and seeing it in pictures were definitely different from being there for herself. It was warm, and yet it was also cool because of the stone floor beneath the soles of her feet.

Peter sat at the head of the table, being the High King, to his right was Queen Susan, and then King Caspian, to his left was King Edmund, then Queen Lucy. Irene was ushered by Queen Lucy to sit next to her. Irene felt quite out of place.

The food arrived, being brought by, Irene took note, two humans, a small man - which was probably a dwarf -, a beaver, a - what she could only guess to be a - faun, and a badger. Irene tried her hardest not to stare or touch the badger who had brought her food, and that had proved to be difficult.

Dinner was very awkward to say the least. She was hungry, yes, but she had lost her appetite. She had forced herself to eat tiny bits, and by then she had felt quite depressed because of the situation. She was half expecting Michael to appear, laughing about the whole thing, and she might even join in herself, but that prospect was getting dimmer by the moment, and every time she saw a talking animal.

"So, Susan, when are you planning to hold the wedding?" Lucy asked eagerly, a little too eagerly, making Irene uncomfortable though she knew Lucy had no such intention.

Susan drank from her goblet and said, "in about a month or so."

And they planned a wedding.

Irene felt even worse, feeling as if she was an intruder to a family affair. It was like she was invited to a family party by an acquaintance. She felt left out.

Yes, dinner was very awkward, and difficult to get through.

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> So, what do you think? Do review, please? I'll update as soon as I can. Promise.


	3. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: **At this very moment, while I am writing this, I'm watching The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Anyways, hope you enjoy this chapter!

To** Lanthe95**: Thank you so much! I'll try to write as fast as possible. Thank you for your review =)

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 2<strong>

**A TRIP TO THE GARDENS AND THE CITY**

Irene woke, feeling cold despite the covers.

She lay still for a moment, until she remembered all that had happened the day before. She sat up, her eyes closed.

"It was a dream," she said to herself, "a dream and nothing else."

She opened her eyes and then she frowned.

She was still - if it really was real - in Narnia. At that point, she was quite convinced already. Even Michael wouldn't take a prank this far.

She sat still on the bed, the blankets pooling at her waist. She thought of several things. What was going to happen to her? Why was she there? There must have been a reason why she was brought there in the first place.

Irene pulled the covers off of herself, getting up from the bed. She walked towards the curtains and pulled them apart, letting the sunshine in. For the first time, she really looked at the room.

There was the big four poster canopy bed, which was to the right when entering the room, to the left was the fireplace, which had a table and chairs. Opposite the door was the window. Most of the floor was carpeted. To the left side, facing the bed, was a door that led to the bathroom, closet and vanity. The room was mostly empty, there were no clothes in the closet, and the room was relatively dusty, making the room stuffy.

The view outside was beautiful. Her room faced part of the gardens and part of the beaches. The gardens were breathtaking, with paths and archways. At the moment, it was empty, but she fancied that there were usually a lot of people in the gardens. It was just beautiful, there were all kinds of plants, flowers and there were trees to the edge.

There was a knock on the door, making her turn from the window.

She went to the door and opened it, finding Queen Lucy standing there, holding a bundle of clothes.

"Hello, good morning!" The Valiant Queen greeted cheerfully. A little bit too cheerily for the morning. But maybe that was just how the young Queen was.

"Good morning," Irene replied with a smile, letting her in. Lucy placed the bundle on her bed, and sitting down next to it.

Irene thought it odd, and it must have shown on her face, because Lucy's smile changed and she explained, "Oh, these are just some clothes, from Susan and I," she patted the bundle beside her and continued, "you can't just go around wearing a nightdress, can you?"

She decided to humor the Queen, "you definitely cannot," she walked towards the bundle and saw that there were four dresses there. There was a green one, a red one, a blue one and a purple one. The purple dress was beautiful, with a boat neckline, and quarter sleeves, the skirt was split, revealing a black cloth inside, it was adorned with black embellishments and linings.

"That's Susan's dress," Lucy commented, "she once wore it to a ball that was held in her honor in Archenland," she smiled dreamily as she remembered, "it was beautiful," she was silent for a moment then caught herself, "oh, yes, I ordered a bath for you, I wasn't quite sure what kind of bath you liked, so I ordered hot water to be brought up. There's good indoor plumbing here, but, unfortunately, it only brings up cold water. There's also a tray of food coming up, because you were not awake when we had broken our fast."

There was silence as Irene looked through the clothes. There were boots at the bottom of the pile, it was Susan's.

"These will have to do," Lucy said as she stood up, stretching as she headed for the door, "for now at least. Just until we buy you some."

Buy her some?

Irene turned and said, a little bit apprehensively, "buy me some?" When Lucy nodded, she just started to shake her head and said, "you really won't have to. I can absolutely make do with these."

Lucy said nothing, she looked at Irene's legs, and said, "I'll get you some boots made, you don't have any footwear. Except for Susan's that is."

That was one thing Irene could not protest against. She really needed footwear. Barefoot was cool and all, but she wanted to _walk_, and go to the garden, and those kinds of things.

"Thank you," she said as Lucy was about to close the door. Lucy smiled.

She fixed the dresses in the closet, and then there was another knock on the door.

"Hold on!" She shouted as she closed the door to the closet.

She immediately opened the door and was for a moment surprised by the woman standing there, carrying a steaming bucket of water, there was another woman carrying a tray of food. Then she remembered the bath and food Lucy ordered.

"Oh, yes," she said, opening the door wider, "do come in."

The woman set the bucket on near the tub, and then left.

"Thank you!" Irene called out, right before the door closed.

She ate the food on the tray, and then she took a bath, a slightly warm bath. It was an odd feeling, taking a bath that way. She dressed in the purple gown Lucy had brought and tried to dry her hair using the velvet robe - not conventional, but definitely effective. The dress fit well, not perfectly, but well enough, the boots were a bit big, though.

As she waited for her hair to dry, she reached a decision. If she was going to be in Narnia for a while, she might as well be productive. She couldn't just mope around all day, waiting for Michael to show up, _if_ he was going to show up.

As her hair dried up enough to be just damp, she left the room. She really wanted to go around the gardens.

She somehow got there, after a few twists and turns in the corridor, getting lost and entering rooms - thank God they were empty -, but she got there.

And, well, it was beautiful.

The fragrance in the air. The colors all around. Just the _feel_ of it was beautiful.

She walked through the paths, thinking of nothing in particular, letting her thoughts run wild. She had been looking at her feet, and so she was not paying attention when she turned a corner. She did stop in time, coming face to face with Peter - actually, it was more like face to chest, because Peter was definitely way taller than her.

"Uhm," she started, then caught herself. She bowed and said, "King Peter."

"Please," Peter said, chuckling, "you don't have to call me that. You're new here, you're excused."

He smiled at her and she returned the smile.

"Walk with me?" He said offering her his arm. She hesitated just a tiny bit, then accepted, placing her hand on the nook of his elbow.

"So how is it that you were able to stay in Narnia?" She asked after a few steps.

"How is it that you know about Narnia in the first place?" He said, he looked at her amused, but by his tone he knew that it was a serious question.

"Answer my question, and I'll answer yours," Irene retorted with a laugh as they turned on the walkway.

He looked at her mock seriously, "I am the High King of Narnia, you know."

"Yes, but I'm new here remember?"

"Alright, alright," Peter said giving in, "Aslan let us stay. He gave the four of us a choice. If we were to go back to England, Susan and I would no longer be able to come back. If we stayed, we would rule alongside Caspian. Obviously, we stayed."

Hearing Aslan's name was the same as the whole dining hall thing. In England, when she had read it in the book, and heard it out loud, she didn't feel a thing. But here, hearing Aslan's name made her feel warm inside. Like the feeling of someone remembering her birthday.

"Why would Aslan let you stay?" Irene asked after the feeling toned down.

"Aslan does things," Peter replied, "that sometimes doesn't make sense, and he sometimes doesn't tell us a thing, but there are always reasons," after a pause, he added, "good reasons."

"I would imagine that he would," she said, "he is the True King, I would imagine that he would never purposely put Narnia in harm, he only wishes the best for Narnia," she smiled, "the four of you are the best for Narnia."

"A great compliment, milady," Peter said, smiling, "but flattery will get you nowhere."

She laughed then, a heartfelt laugh.

"It is very true, your highness," Irene said.

"And now," Peter said, "you now must tell me how you know about Narnia."

"Well, that is hard to explain," Irene said, a smile getting bigger and bigger on her face "and since most likely, the others will ask, I shall save it for lunch, or maybe even 'til dinner."

He turned to her, his face in mock shock, "how unfair!"

"It is not," Irene justified, "I said I'd tell you after you tell me, and lunch is still later."

"You are quite cunning, milady," Peter said, "I say you could be a diplomat."

"Definitely not," Irene said, shaking her head, "not my cup of tea."

"Well, we really need to figure out why you're here in the first place," Peter said, bringing back the conversation to reality - or the reality within the dream, or whatever this whole thing really was.

"I just hope it isn't anything scary," Irene said, "like killing someone, or fighting or whatever."

Peter said nothing.

That disturbed Irene.

* * *

><p>Irene sat at the same place for lunch, next to Lucy. Susan and Lucy seemed pleased to see that she was wearing the purple dress.<p>

In the middle of dinner, after talking about who was to be invited to the wedding, Peter spoke up.

"And now, milady Irene," Peter said, motioning to her, "do explain."

She had wanted to explain the whole more eloquently, but, oh well. Everyone stopped talking and looked at her. Her palms started to get sweaty.

"You see," Irene started, "in England today, there are a series of books, called the Chronicles of Narnia."

As she explained, they listened intently. She left out some of the books, and some details.

"Eustace Scrubb?" Edmund said, leaning back on his chair, "in Narnia? That would have been interesting."

"It ended nicely, actually, he even got to come back, even when Edmund and Lu-" she stopped herself, she had decided to not tell that little detail. The one wherein Edmund and Lucy would eventually not be able to go back into Narnia.

"Even when Edmund and I what?" Lucy asked.

"It's nothing," Irene replied, "you two... were called back to save Narnia again."

She stopped talking and started eating, looking only to her food. Something told her that she shouldn't be telling them those things. It would tip the balance or whatever.

"Irene," Susan said making Irene look up towards the direction of the Gentle Queen.

"Yes?"

The Gentle Queen looked at the Valiant Queen and then back to Irene, and then said, "Lucy and I will be going to the city today, would you like to come with us?"

She knew she should say no, but then she remembered: _be productive._

"Yes, of course," Irene replied with a small smile.

"I'll get the horses prepared then," Lucy said standing up.

Horses?

"Did you say 'horses'?" Irene asked worriedly.

"Yes," Lucy said, turning around at the door, "how else are we supposed to go there?" And then she left.

"Do you have a problem with horses, Irene?" Caspian asked, "they're very friendly, you know."

Irene simply smiled, "I... uhm..." how was she supposed to say it? "I don't know how to ride a horse."

She saw Edmund smile when she said this, and was about to glare at him, but then decided against it.

"It's easy," Susan said, "you'll get the hang of it in no time."

"I certainly hope so."

* * *

><p>And she fell.<p>

Again.

As she lay on her stomach on the grass, she heard Susan and Edmund, who was going to escort them.

"I don't think this was such a good idea, Edmund," Susan said, "she can't keep on, she'll reach the city in bruises."

"Nonsense," Edmund said, "she's getting the hang of it already."

At that, she stood up and glared at the 'Just' King. Lucy was already on her horse, trotting beside the one that Irene was supposed to ride, supposedly showing Irene how to ride. They were near the stables. Susan, Edmund and Lucy were already mounted on their horses, and Irene was still trying to mount - and ride - hers.

"Susan, we need to get to the city," Lucy said, looking worriedly at the sun, "I want to get back before dark."

Susan pondered on it for a moment as Irene tried to fiddle with the horse saddle, trying to look like she was doing something. To tell the truth, she was, at that point, quite embarrassed by her lack of skills at riding a horse. She had tried, many times, right after lunch, but repeatedly failed at it. She sighed.

"I don't thi-" Irene was cut off by Susan reaching a decision.

"Well, Edmund, that settles it," Susan said, "you have to ride with her, or she has to ride with you."

"Alright," Edmund said, getting off his horse. He placed the horse Irene was supposed to ride back into the stables, leaving Irene standing awkwardly there.

He came back and motioned for her to go to the horse - if she remembered correctly, he had a name, she just couldn't remembered what that name was. She mounted the horse with a little difficulty. Edmund mounted in front of her.

Edmund spoke to the horse, "Rinard," - there it is, Rinard! - "not too heavy, are we?"

Irene could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks.

"No, my liege," Rinard replied, "I am capable enough to carry this weight."

When they were on their way to the city, Edmund spoke.

"You don't have to hold so tightly, milady," he turned his head towards her, and she could see him smirk.

She loosened her hands around his waist, but when she felt sudden movement from Rinard, she held on for dear life. At that point, he laughed.

"Are you that terrified, milady?"

"Yes, I've never rode on a horse before."

She found that the dress she was wearing was not at all comfortable when riding.

"Why? I thought you lived in Hertfordshire," Edmund asked.

"No," Irene said, "my parents died when I was seven, and I was taken in by a distant relative, who lived in London. So I spent a lot of time in the city, I never really went back to Hertfordshire."

Edmund was silent for a moment, and then asked, "so, who is this Michael person?"

"The son of the distant relative who took me in," Irene replied uncomfortably, she didn't want to talk about Michael, not now.

"I see."

Edmund could tell that Irene wasn't comfortable talking about Michael. He wondered why, but decided against asking. Maybe when he knew her better.

Irene, as far as Edmund could tell, was an interesting person. It was easy to tell how she felt by the look on her face, but she was still unpredictable. He'd enjoy getting to know her.

As they reached the city, Susan's first agenda were the dresses for her wedding. She got Lucy and her to be fitted, then Irene, too, for some of the dresses Susan planned to get for her, they also fitted a pair of leather boots for her.

"I really insist, you don't have to buy me clothes," Irene had protested, but was eventually persuaded by Lucy and Susan. To Edmund, she seemed to resist more because of manners than her own interest.

As they walked from store to store, Edmund noticed that Irene kept looking around at the different things present. She looked at the people, the humans and the different creatures about, and she looked at the different things being sold here and there. She seemed quite fascinated by her surroundings.

She also seemed amused by the different creatures bowing to the King and Queens, for they were well respected among the people.

"Interested, are we?" Edmund asked as he walked alongside her, while she looked at the different stalls.

"There aren't anything like these in England," she replied, not looking at him but at the figurines being sold in one stall. He looked away, but looked back when he heard her laugh, "it's you!"

She was holding up a figurine of him, holding a sword up. The seller, a faun, flushed.

"Why, this is an excellent, copy of the real thing," Irene commented as she held it up against him.

"I try my hardest, milady," that faun said. He fixed his wares and continued, "I make these figurines myself."

"They are marvelously made," Edmund said, examining them himself. The figurines were made of glass.

Lucy and Susan came alongside them, examining the glass figurines of themselves.

"These are just beautiful!" Susan exclaimed.

The faun blushed. Edmund suspected that this was the first time he had seen the royals up close, and spoken to them.

"These could be the figurines on your cake, Susan," Lucy said, holding up the figurines of Susan and Caspian. She placed them together, as if they were standing side by side.

"A great suggestion, Lucy," Edmund commented, he looked to the side, where he thought Irene would be, but she was no longer there.

He looked around, but she was nowhere to be found. He walked along, a little farther away, where he passed a performing fire eater, he found Irene at an opening of an alley.

She had her back to the wall, and her breathing was quick.

"Irene, are you alright?" He asked, concerned.

Her lips were quivering, her whole body was shaking, and her forehead was covered in sweat. She had wrapped her arms around her, and closed her eyes.

"I'm fine," Irene replied shakily, "I just need to catch my breath, that's all."

It was an obvious lie, and Edmund knew it. But he didn't press her for the truth.

"You should go back to Susan and Lucy," Irene said, "I'll catch up, alright?"

Her tone said it all: please, leave me alone.

He did, though he didn't want to.

"Where's Irene?" Lucy asked as he went back.

"She'll catch up," Edmund replied, changing the subject, he said, "so, what are we buying?"

Lucy took the bait, "well, Susan's getting one made for the cake, and we bought these six," she motioned to the set they had bought, figurines of High King Peter the Magnificent, Queen Susan the Gentle, King Edmund the Just, Queen Lucy the Valiant, King Caspian the Telmarine Savior, and Aslan, the Great Lion, the True King of Narnia.

"Beautiful," Edmund said as he took the figurine of the Great Lion. He placed it back moments later.

"Aren't they?" Lucy asked cheerily, "you should get a chess set of these."

Irene returned at that moment, "have you decided already?"

Lucy showed her the glass figurines that they had bought, Irene looked at each of them, commenting on the poses and how realistic they looked. To Edmund, it seemed that she was avoiding looking at him.

When Susan joined the group again, they were all set to go back to Cair Paravel.

* * *

><p>Susan noticed that there seemed to be something off about Irene as they rode back to Cair Paravel. She seemed out of it, staring off into space. She nearly even fell off Rinard once, but thank Aslan that Edmund held on to her.<p>

"I'm sorry," Irene apologized.

They reached Cair Paravel as the sun finished setting, and Susan saw that Caspian was there to welcome them home.

Her heart skipped a beat as she saw him smile upon making eye contact with her. She headed for the stables first, to set her horse, Lilia, into her stall. She was ahead of Edmund, Irene and Lucy, so she had passed them when she made her way into Cair Paravel.

As she walked along one of the corridors, heading to Peter's study, she heard footsteps behind her and soon, arms wrapped around her waist.

"Caspian!" She laughed as he came up beside her.

"Welcome back, my Queen," he smiled at her, kissing her lips, "how was the trip to the city?"

"It was nice," Susan replied, smiling, "we bought some amazing glass figurines, we also orders some clothes for Irene."

"Ah, the lady Irene," Caspian said, "how did she find the city?"

"She seemed fascinated by it," Susan replied as they turned a corner. They were simply holding hands. She continued, "she seems to be a good person, just very confused about some things."

"She looks to be very afraid, too," Caspian added.

"By what?"

Caspian shrugged.

"Anyways, I think Irene and I could be good friends," Susan said, a smile forming on her lips, "it's nice to have someone like her here."

"Someone like her?"

"From England."

Caspian simply smiled at her.

They continued to talk until they reached Peter's office.

"Ah," Peter said looking up from the paperwork, "my sister, and my traitor friend."

Caspian and Susan simply rolled their eyes.

"What are you two doing here?" Peter asked, smiling.

"I bought you these," Susan said, setting the pouch on the table. Peter opened it and found crumpled pieces of paper.

"Crumpled paper?" He said, raising his eyebrows.

"No, they're glass figurines wrapped in crumpled pieces of paper," the Gentle Queen unwrapped one of them, revealing the glass figurine of Lucy.

Peter placed all the glass figurines on his table, arranging the siblings according to age, except he had placed Caspian between Susan and Edmund, then Aslan next to Peter.

"Remember, there's a scheduled audience tomorrow," Peter said looking at the two, who were seated on chairs opposite each other, "we all have to be there."

"Tell that to Edmund," Caspian replied, grinning.

"Tell me what?" Edmund said as he and Lucy entered the study.

"There's an audience tomorrow," Susan said.

"Yes, I remember," Lucy said, taking a seat near the fireplace, "after lunch, right?"

"Yes, after lunch," Peter said, he looked at Edmund, "don't be late, Ed."

"Me?" Edmund said, looking mock offended, "I am always on time," the others snickered behind him.

"I mean it this time, Ed," Peter said, despite himself, he still smiled.

"You're getting old Peter," Edmund replied, taking a seat next to Lucy, "you're starting to sound like the Professor," after a pause, he said, straining his voice to sound constricted, "'you must never keep your loyal subjects waiting, you majesty.'"

Peter shook his head at his brother's antics.

"Oh, yes, Peter," Susan said, "Caspian and I have been meaning to talk to you about the wedding."

"What about it?"

"Well, if Aslan won't be here for the ceremony," Susan said, "would you mind being the minister? I mean, being the High King of Narnia and all."

"I wouldn't mind that at all," Peter smiled, "I'd be very happy to do it."

Susan simply smiled at him and squeezed Caspian's hand.

Her wedding was going to be perfect.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>There we go! Alright, I know there seems to be a lot of meaningless conversation, but whatever. I found it cute.

Review, please?


	4. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: **Hey, guys! Thanks for all the faves, reviews and alerts. I live by those stuff. I also thank my beta reader, **Evanescence2189**, for the editing =)

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER 3<strong>

**TROUBLE IN CALORMEN**

Edmund entered the dining hall, a parchment held in his hand. He gave it to Peter, and Lucy, who sat next to the High King, saw that the wax seal was already broken. Edmund's expression was grave as he sat in his own seat next to Lucy. She craned her neck over Peter's shoulder in attempt to see the words written on the page.

"What is it, Peter?" Susan asked. From her position at his other side, she leaned over. His hands blocked her view, however, and she gave a sigh of frustration.

Lucy observed as Peter's brow creased, and the corners of his mouth lowered to a frown. His eyes moved back and forth as he read, anxiety increasing in his features. He let out a slow breath as he finished reading.

Susan took the parchment and held it between her and Caspian.

"It's from Doctor Cornelius," she whispered. As she also finished reading, Susan's eyes widened in concern. Caspian frowned deeply.

"Oh, dear," said Susan. Lucy began to tap her foot impatiently as she watched their reactions.

"What's wrong, Peter? What's in the letter?" she asked. Sometimes, she hated being the youngest, as she was usually the last to find out anything official.

Peter turned to her, his frown still firmly placed.

"There is trouble in Calormen," he began. The Kings and Queens all looked to the High King, listening intently. "A Tarkaan was killed by a Narnian soldier, and the people of Calormen are in uproar."

"Why so?" Lucy asked, intrigued.

"_Why would a Narnian soldier attack a noble of Calormen?" _she thought.

"The Tisroc's nephew was killed," Peter replied.

The clanging of utensils against fine porcelain ceased.

"There _must_ be a reason," the younger Queen reasoned. "Why would one of our soldiers attack without provocation?"

"Why would a Narnian, let alone a soldier, be in Calormen at all?" asked Edmund.

"It wasn't said in the letter," Caspian said, leaning back in his chair. His brow was furrowed and his jaw was twitching slightly in agitation.

"Let me see that," Lucy said, reaching over the table to grab the letter. She sat back in her seat and read as the others dissolved into further discussion. The writing was somewhat uneven and edgy, and a bit difficult to make out.

_To Their Majesties,_

_The Kings and Queens of Narnia,_

_Your Majesties, I report very unnerving news. Tashbaan has descended into chaos over the death of the Tisroc's nephew—at the hands of Evran, a soldier of Narnia. I am unsure of what to do, your Majesties, and I send this message in great haste. As I have said in previous reports, the Tisroc of the Calormen merely seeks a reason to declare war on Narnia. I am inclined to believe these accusations false, but I fear that they have found their reason despite._

_Your loyal subject,_

_Cornelius_

_Doctor, and Ambassador to Calormen_

"We must send someone to Tashbaan to deal with this situation, Peter," said Susan. Lucy looked up immediately.

"I'll go."

"No," Peter said firmly.

"Why not?" Lucy protested. "You think me not experienced?"

"It's not—" Peter started, but Lucy continued over him.

"You forget that I have gone to war with you on several occasions, and have ruled this country alongside you for far longer a time."

None could contest that which was true.

Peter looked to Susan for help, who sighed in defeat.

"She is a Queen of Narnia, it is her right," she said.

All regarded Peter in silence as he thought, weighing his options. But just as he was to speak, the door creaked open and Irene entered the dining hall. As she noticed their stares, she stopped in her tracks.

"Am I interrupting?" Irene asked, taking a step backwards.

"Please, take a seat, Irene," Peter offered, motioning to the few open chairs around the long table. She took a seat next to Lucy, as was per usual these past couple of days, and started to eat. Lucy continued to stare at Peter, waiting for his decision. The others uneasily continued their meal.

When they all had finished their meal, Peter stood to leave. Lucy planned to follow, but there was no need.

"I will instruct Glenstorm to prepare the Aurora for your journey to Calormen." Lucy smiled broadly, only just managing to contain her delight. He left before she could reply with her thanks, but she didn't miss the small smile he returned her with.

"Well, Lu, negotiate for peace, of course," said Susan.

"Stay focused," said Edmund, who leaned towards her.

"And keep close to Doctor Cornelius," said Caspian. "Please send him my regards."

"What's going on?" Irene asked.

"Lucy will travel to Tashbaan," Susan replied. "We've received a disturbing report from our ambassador in Calormen, which must be taken care of immediately."

"When you say it like that, it makes me not want to go."

"Well, it's been decided," said Edmund as he stood and walked to the door. He opened it, but then paused.

"There's no backing out now," he said with a smile, and headed for his chambers.

Susan and Caspian soon retired as well, leaving Lucy and Irene.

"Well, good luck," said Irene.

Lucy nodded in reply. She didn't know when she was leaving, exactly, but that was a moot point. It was enough that Peter had agreed.

She had never had an opportunity like this. Even when they had first ruled, she had never gone on official visits by herself; she had always been accompanied by one of her siblings. Lucy had stayed in the safety of her home in Cair Paravel, frustrating her so. But now, she would smile. Peter had finally given her a chance.

"So, when will you be back?" Irene asked, pulling Lucy out of her thoughts.

"I can't be sure," Lucy replied. This would be a…touchy situation, which would have to be handled delicately if war was not to be waged.

"What's the problem?" Irene asked.

"The Tisroc's nephew was killed by a Narnian soldier," Lucy said, picking up the letter once again and studying it.

"And the reason?" Irene asked, glancing at it.

"None," Lucy said absentmindedly as she read and reread and reread again. The Calormenes had most likely demanded the life of the Narnian, as their law demanded, but they had no claim over a life from across their borders. What she couldn't fathom was why a Narnian would be in Calormen in the first place.

Lucy was startled out of her reverie by the sound of the click of the door being shut. Irene had left, leaving her alone in the dining hall.

She let out a breath and stood. This was going to be…difficult.

* * *

><p>"Edmund will be joining you," Peter said. Lucy's heart sank.<p>

"What do you mean?" Lucy asked, her voice rising with her annoyance. She swallowed and cleared her throat, restraining her anger.

"He knows the laws of both countries," Peter said, his voice steady and calm. "He will be accompanying you."

"And I don't?" Lucy argued, putting her hand over her chest. When Peter looked down, she fairly shouted his name. The High King looked up from his chair.

"I don't think you understand how _important_ this is. You can't _do_ it alone."

Lucy resigned her burning resentment with a cold glare.

"This isn't fair, Peter," Lucy said.

"We aren't talking about being fair, Lu," Peter said gently but firmly. "We're on the edge of confrontation with a nation that would love nothing better than to tear us apart."

She looked away.

"I can't let you do this without support."

"You don't _trust_ me." Peter's gaze snapped up to her at the accusation. She saw he was about to protest before he uttered the words, and cut him off.

"Excuse me," she said quickly.

Lucy turned and left Peter alone in his study.

Yes, she knew that he was right. Yes, she would need Edmund's expertise in diplomacy. Yet, she couldn't help her aggravation.

Peter was such a git.

* * *

><p>"Have you seen Lucy?" Edmund asked as he entered the High King's study, "I didn't see her in her room."<p>

"I would guess that she's bawling her eyes out somewhere else," Peter sighed, not looking up from his work.

Edmund raised an eyebrow at his brother, taking a seat across from him.

"I told her that she couldn't go to Calormen alone," Peter said, glancing at the Just King, and then going back to work.

"And you're sending who with her?"

"You."

"Me?"

"Yes," Peter said, he looked up and leaned back into his chair, "you. You know the laws, this is equally about the law as it is about diplomacy."

"I take it that Lucy is either quite overjoyed of my coming along, or she's quite devastated," Edmund placed his feet on the chair opposite of his own.

"We both know which one it is," the older boy replied, continuing his work.

After a few moments of hesitation, in which Peter kept writing and Edmund kept staring, the younger King sighed, and quickly stood, "I'll go look for her then."

Peter watched as his brother walked out the room, calling out a "thank you!" as the door closed behind him.

* * *

><p>Lucy walked along the shores of the Eastern Sea, close to the forests that shrouded the Cair beyond, but far enough to wander about. The salt smell, the sound of the waves and the feel of the ocean breeze swept over her, somehow comforting her with more ease of mind.<p>

Lucy would be fine with Edmund. She only feared becoming useless, inessential in their efforts to make peace with Calormen; or worse, looking like a fool of a queen in front of a foreign nation. Nor would it be any better if she was left behind, alone with nothing to do with her time.

Picking up a rock, she sighed and tossed it absentmindedly, not looking to which direction it went.

"Ow!" Lucy whipped around, seeing nothing but the tall trees that separated beach from forest. Although after a moment, Irene came out from behind an oak, rubbing her left (now sore) arm with her other hand.

"No need to go tossing unseemly rocks," Irene said as she dusted off her gown of thistles, walking toward the Valiant Queen. "Sand might have been less painful."

"Sorry about that," said Lucy. She gave an apologetic smile. "I'm a bit distracted, as you can see."

"I can," Irene affirmed. She sat down on the fine, powdery sand, and motioned for Lucy to accompany her.

"What are you doing here?" Lucy asked, as she too, sat.

"The castle felt a bit stuffy," Irene replied. "Remnas won't let me ride her today, either."

She paused to roll her eyes.

"And _I_ thought she was so _happy_ to always throw me over. Apparently she's getting bored with me." Lucy couldn't help but give a true smile at this.

"That must mean that you're getting harder to throw over."

"Thanks for the encouragement, but I really don't think I'm quite fit for riding."

The conversation lulled as the two watched the waves of the ocean rise and fall with gentle crashes, but after moments of silence, Irene threw her head back and groaned. She looked at Lucy.

"You know, after the novelty of Narnia wears away, it gets quite boring here," Irene admitted, fingering a nearby twig. "Now I have nothing to do since I practically gave up horseback riding." She sighed and began to idly draw in the sand with the stick.

"I understand," Lucy said. She knew personally from experience.

Then, an idea sparked in her mind. She turned to Irene.

"Would you like to accompany me to Calormen?"

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> So, what do you think? I know it's short, but the next chapter will be longer =)

Please, do review? Thank you =)


	5. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:** Hey guys! Sorry for the very long time of no update (at least for me, that's long.) Anyways, no beta, so my mistakes are my mistakes =(

Anyways, enjoy!

And remember, please review!

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER 4<strong>

**A WEDDING**

Irene stared at Lucy.

"I don't want to be rude and all when I say this, but are you fucking serious?" Irene stared incredulously at the young Queen, "this is – I can only guess – one of the most important diplomatic trips of the country," she was, by now, looking at the Queen, her hands on her chest, "and you want to bring _me_?"

Lucy nodded, smiling at her, "if I told you that there's this feeling I have that you're supposed to go with Edmund and I, you wouldn't believe me, would you?"

"I'd have to say, no, I wouldn't," Irene replied.

"And you still don't know why you're here in Narnia, do you?" Lucy didn't wait for a reply, "so, wouldn't it be best if you went with us? Who knows, Aslan might even show up."

Irene was silent as she thought about it. She had been in Cair Paravel for two weeks, and had been, more or less, useless. She had been keeping herself busy mostly by learning how to ride a horse, which, by the way, she seemed to be getting worse and worse at. There had been no development concerning her presence, Aslan didn't appear to tell her what her purpose for being there was. She was stuck in Narnia with nothing to do.

Going with Lucy and Edmund to Calormen seemed the most logical thing to do at that point. And Irene was all for logical.

"Fine," Irene said, "but I can't guarantee anything."

"You don't have to," Lucy said delightedly, standing up, turning to leave, "I'll be the one to do things anyway."

"Lucy!"

Irene and Lucy looked back and saw Edmund approaching them.

"Hello, there, Edmund," Lucy said, a smile curving her lips, "were you looking for me?"

"Well, you're clearly not as upset as Peter told me," Edmund declared, "he told me you'd be crying your eyes."

"Oh, I was," Lucy nodded honestly, walking past Edmund, shrugging, "I'm just not upset anymore."

Edmund looked curiously at Irene, and then he turned and followed Lucy. Irene couldn't decipher what they were saying, but she could hear Lucy's and Edmund's laughter.

Irene sighed as she stood up.

Looks like she was going to Calormen.

* * *

><p>"Are you sure you want to take Irene with you?" Peter asked Lucy again for about the third time.<p>

"I'm quite sure, Peter," Lucy nodded again.

She was in Peter's study once again, along with Susan, Caspian, Edmund and Irene. Edmund and Lucy were sitting across Peter, Susan and Caspian were sitting across the fireplace, while Irene sat farthest, in the corner of the room.

Suddenly, Susan gasped, and everyone looked back to her, even Caspian had a confused look on his face.

"Do you know what this trip to Calormen means?" Susan said, first looking at Caspian, then to the rest of the people in the room.

"That we have peace between Narnia and Calormen…?" Edmund shrugged.

"No!" Susan glared at Edmund, "well, yes, maybe," she took a deep breath and looked at Caspian, "it means that our wedding gets pushed back."

"What do you mean?" Her betrothed replied.

"Well, if you think," Susan began to explain, "Calormen is a bit of a long journey, especially since their leaving a few days from now, they'd be there in about two weeks, and they wouldn't be able to come back in time for the wedding. This means that our wedding will be pushed back indefinitely, and I'm definitely not holding it without you two."

"Hold it early then," Peter shrugged, "I'm sure it could be done if we concentrated on it. Besides, the ship won't be ready for at least a week."

Susan thought about it, she was biting her lip, and her brows knit together. She looked at Caspian, who simply nodded and smiled at her. She smiled in return and looked to her siblings, smiling nervously, "looks like the wedding will be in a week."

"Looking forward to it," Lucy smiled.

* * *

><p>The whole palace was in an uproar trying to get the wedding prepared in seven days, manpower was divided between getting the ship Aurora ready and getting the wedding to be perfect. The Pevensies and Caspian all threw themselves into working, which left Irene alone most of the time.<p>

She spent her time packing her clothes – which weren't much – and reading in the library, which was helpful in familiarizing herself with Narnia. She often stayed in the library until she was called for supper.

The day before the wedding, while everyone was busy, Irene was sitting on a chair next to the window in the library, reading a book she saw lying open on one of the seats.

She heard the click of the door and looked up, waiting for someone to come into view. There was a creak behind her and she turned to see Edmund.

"You're reading my book, you know," Edmund said after a moment, he was looking through the shelves of books.

Irene flushed, and set the book down, "I'm sorry, I didn't realize."

"No, it's absolutely alright," he waved his hand at her and picked up a book from the shelf, "I was nearly done with it anyway," he sat in another chair, near the unlit fireplace.

There was silence as Irene picked up the book and started reading again. She had to admit, it was a pleasant kind of silence, not the awkward ones that were occurred often in her first few days in Narnia.

"Would you mind me asking you something?" Edmund interrupted and Irene looked up.

"You already have," Irene said and smiled, "but no, I don't mind."

"What happened to you in the city three weeks ago? I never really got to ask," Edmund said, closing the book he was reading.

Irene gripped the book until her fingertips became white. She hadn't expected him to ask her that. She swallowed and loosened her hands.

"Nothing," she replied, trying to keep her voice calm.

"It wasn't nothing, Irene," Edmund said, looking at her even a she pretended to look down the book, "you were terrified of something."

"It's nothing you need to know," Irene replied quickly as she closed the book and stood up, "well, I must be going now," she awkwardly walked out the door and sighed.

Edmund waited until he heard the click at the door to hit himself with the book he was holding.

"Way to go, Edmund," he muttered to himself.

He knew that she wasn't comfortable with that subject, her lack of explanation after the incident gave way to that, and her reaction today, too. But it just really bugged him every time he saw her, the image of her in the alley always popped up in his head. It was an annoying habit of his, he was way too curious.

He took the crown from his head and ran his hand through his hair in frustration. Then, the Just King sighed and looked for Irene.

He found her in the gardens, sitting on one of the stone benches, reading. He took a seat by her, and she looked up at him, confused.

"Milady," Edmund started, "have I offended you with my question?"

She looked down and the clenching of her teeth didn't go unnoticed.

"So it did," Edmund observed.

She snapped her book close, placed it beside her and looked at Edmund pointedly, her words were crisp and very clear, "_King Edmund_, your question was quite personal," at this point she had turned her body towards him, "we," she motioned her hands between them, "don't have the level of friendship for me to be comfortable with answering that question. And eve if we did, I would've chosen not to answer it."

She stood and left. And all Edmund did was stare ahead, his lips quirking into a smirk.

Why, yes, he would really enjoy getting to know Irene.

* * *

><p>Lucy was looking for Irene, a linen sack in her arms.<p>

The dresses had arrived from the dressmaker's, and Lucy was quite excited to try them on. She wasn't really the type to be excited about dresses, but these were dresses for a _wedding._ So, yes, she was going to be shallow for now.

"There you are!" Lucy said as she spotted Irene turn the corner from the gardens, "come on!"

Irene didn't say a word, but followed Lucy to the younger woman's room.

Lucy placed the sack on the bed and from it took out two beautiful blue dresses.

"Do you know why the theme of the wedding is blue?" Lucy said, a smile playing on her lips.

"Why?" Irene asked curiously. She was leaning against the window's frame.

"When we were crowned Kings and Queens of Narnia, Susan was wearing a blue cloak," Lucy explained as she set the dresses on the bed, "from then on, those were our colors, used in each of our symbols. Peter's was gold, Susan's was blue, Edmund's was silver and mine was red."

"That's very symbolic of Susan, to choose blue and all," Irene said.

"Well, that was when we became monarchs of this country, forever tying Narnia to us, and us to Narnia," Lucy said smiling in recollection, she sighed, "anyways," she took one of the dresses and held it up for Irene to see, "this is yours."

Irene looked at Lucy, surprised etched on her features, and in disbelief she said, "mine?"

"Yes," Lucy nodded, "what were you going to wear to the wedding?"

"I was planning not to go," Irene blurted out, and Lucy stared at her.

"Why ever not?"

"I-I," Irene swallowed, "I, uhm, it's a family affair. I wouldn't want to intrude on something as big as a wedding."

Lucy stared at the woman incredulously, "and you were planning to stay in your room the whole time?"

"Yes," Irene mumbled.

There was a knock on the door at that moment and Lucy opened the door, putting the blue dress over her forearm.

"Susan," Lucy said as she let her older sister in, "she," she pointed accusingly at Irene, "was planning not to go to your wedding."

"Why not?" Susan asked stopping mid-way to the bed, looking at Irene.

Irene looked at Susan, grappling for words, "it's your wedding, and it's a family affair-"

"The whole country's been invited!" Lucy interrupted.

"I wasn't invited," Irene whispered.

There was silence.

"Really?" Susan asked in disbelief, blinking, "that-_that's_ your reason?"

"Yes!" Irene exclaimed, "and I think that it's quite a valid reason."

Susan and Lucy both looked at Irene with exasperation and disbelief.

Shutting her mouth, the eldest girl in the room walked towards Irene, and placed her hands on her shoulders and said, looking her in the eyes, "Irene, my wedding is a celebration. I want everyone to be there," the other girl opened her mouth to say something, but Susan continued ,"we've known each other for three weeks, Irene, and I feel like I've known you for a long time, I know we're not exactly close and there's still a lot to know about each other, but, I think that we have a friendship here, Irene," she smiled, "and so you're invited to the wedding."

Irene slightly nodded, and Susan released her shoulders.

"Besides, if you're being particular about the invitation," Susan said as she walked to the bed and sat down, "I could just go down the hall, into my room and fetch you one."

"No, that's alright," Irene smiled.

"Now that that's dealt with," Lucy said, approaching Irene again, placing the blue dress on top of her clothes, "try it on."

While Irene went into the washroom to change, Lucy sat down on the bed again.

"Have you packed?" Susan asked, laying her head down on the pillow.

"Yes," Lucy said and pointed to a trunk at the foot of the bed, "that's all of it."

"A trunk?" Susan asked, sitting up again, raising an eyebrow, "that's it?"

"Yes," Lucy said, unsure, "should there be more?"

"Absolutely!" Susan exclaimed, "you're on a diplomatic trip, Lucy, clothes are very important, you're going to be invited to balls, dances, parties! They're going to look at what you wear, and how you look," Lucy gave her a look, "yes, that's how shallow people can be. Remember, Lucy, this is Calormen we're talking about," she went and opened the closet near the fireplace, "these people are known for being vain, Lucy, so you have to have a lot of clothes for the indefinite time you're spending there," she took out three dresses and set them on the bed, then went back and took another set out.

She did that for several moments until Lucy was pretty sure that her closet was entirely spread out on the bed.

The door to the washroom opened and Irene came out. The sisters looked to were she stood and smiled.

The midnight blue dress was made of velvet, there were no embroideries, but it was lined with silver at the square neckline and at the waist. The sleeves were long and flowing. The dress seemed to shimmer each time Irene moved.

"Beautiful," Lucy said, standing up, "men are going to be flocking over to you."

"And not to you?" Irene retorted playfully as she twirled around, the dress following her movements.

"Peter's going to have a busy day with the two of you," Susan said, laughing.

While Lucy went to put her dress on, Susan opened the trunk at the foot of the bed and Irene merely enjoyed the flow of her dress, moving around the room.

"Thank you for getting me this dress," Irene said, her face glowing with a smile, "I really appreciate that you're inviting me to your wedding, too."

"It's no problem, Irene," Susan replied as she took out the clothes in the trunk, "I view you as a good friend already."

Irene's smile became wider, "thank you."

Lucy was faster at changing, she was out within moments of entering the washroom.

"What do you think?" Lucy said.

Her dress was a dull midnight blue, embroidered with black that looked silver at an angle. The cloth shimmered and flowed with each of Lucy's movements.

"Gorgeous," Irene said, stopping mid twirl.

"Very beautiful," Susan said grinning.

"Thank you," Lucy replied, upon seeing the bed and the empty trunk, she said, "what _are_ you doing?"

"Repacking your trunk," Susan replied, "I can't let my sister go to Calormen with clothes like these," she held up a plain grey dress, "I really think you should be throwing this, anyway."

Susan continued, and Lucy rolled her eyes, smiling at Irene.

"Let's go change," Lucy nodded to Irene.

By the end of their little session the sun was setting, and Susan had managed to pack Lucy four trunks of clothes, and two trunks for other things, like shoes, accessories, paper and ink. Irene had helped, too, folding the clothes, and helping them to fit into the trunk.

"Well," Susan smiled as the last of the trunks were closed, sitting on one of them, "I hope that you two enjoy the trip to Calormen, even though it's a diplomatic one."

"We're not leaving yet, Susan," Lucy said playfully as she sat on the bed with Irene.

"Everyone will be busy tomorrow," Susan replied, "and you leave at dawn the next day, there won't really be time enough for goodbyes."

"You're right," Lucy said, realizing, "I guess you'll have to say everything now."

"There's not much to say," Susan said, "just do your best, don't get caught up in problems that don't concern us, and be cautious of the people you meet. Don't trust so easily, Lucy."

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in!" Susan called out.

Edmund stuck his head in, "I'm going to have to interrupt whatever's going on here."

"With what, Ed?" Lucy asked.

"Susan," Edmund looked to Susan, "the dryads have arrived with your flowers."

"I expected them this morning," Susan commented as she stood up and left with Edmund, murmuring, "dryads," under her breath.

"I'll be going back to my room," Irene said, getting up from the bed. She grabbed her dress and made her way to the door, "I really had fun spending time with the two of you."

"We did, too," Lucy replied, "it's been just Susan and I for the longest time, it's nice to have someone new."

Irene smiled and left the Valiant Queen alone.

* * *

><p>Caspian and Susan walked hand in hand along the gardens, where some tables were already set and the wedding preparations still ongoing.<p>

"Are you nervous?" Caspian asked, his lips quirking to a smile.

"Honestly?" Susan looked at her husband-to-be, who nodded, "no, but I can tell that you are."

"Yes, I am," Caspian said, stopping and turning to her, "why aren't you?"

"I don't know," Susan shrugged, "I just feel as if this is something I should be doing."

"Getting married to me?" Caspian joked, "as Peter said, 'are you off your rocker, Susan?'"

She playfully slapped him in the arm, "I'm being serious, here, Caspian."

"Let's be serious then," he said, trying not to smile, leaning his forehead on hers.

"I just feel as if this is something that I really should be doing," Susan smiled up at him, "like I'm never going to regret this."

"I'm happy you feel that way, Susan," Caspian said, his lips nearly touching hers, "I know I'd never regret marrying you. And I'll never give you reason to regret marrying me."

"But you're not married yet," Peter interrupted, coming between the two, purposely separating the betrothed couple.

Susan and Caspian simply rolled their eyes at the High King.

"So, how are the wedding preparations going?" Peter said, placing his arms around the two, continuing the walk.

"Well, everything's set for tomorrow," Susan replied, "the ceremony, of course, shall be first, which will be held in the Grand Hall, and then the reception, which shall be held in the gardens."

"_The Wedding of the Telmarine King and the Gentle Queen_," Peter said playfully, "it will be talked about for centuries to come. There'll be a book about it, and that shall be the title."

"But wait!" Susan said, entertaining her brother, "what about the wedding of the High King? It will be the grandest of all weddings in Narnia."

"Now, now, sister," Peter mocked scolded, "let's not get ahead of ourselves."

"But, High King," Caspian interjected mock scandalously, joining in, "you must marry soon. What'll the people say? 'Dear, Aslan! The scandal! The High King has no wife to keep him happy, and yet his _younger_ sister already has a husband.'"

"Oh dear," Susan replied, mock shock etched on her face, her hand held over her mouth, "whatever shall we do, Caspian? Our brother is in danger of becoming an old bachelor."

"I'm only twenty-two, Susan!" Peter laughed, "I have more than enough time to find myself a wife."

"That's what you say now, Peter," Caspian said, "wait until you're fifty and still a bachelor."

"Fifty? Seriously?" Peter asked, appalled, "like it'd take me twenty-eight years to find a wife."

"Yes, Susan, Caspian," Edmund said joining the group, "you know our brother better, it'd probably take him thirty, maybe even thirty-five years," it earned him laughter from his sister and brother-to-be.

"Ed!" Peter exclaimed, and tried to hit Edmund, who just swatted his arm away.

"It's your last night as a single woman, Susan," Edmund said, coming up beside Susan, "are you sure you still want to get married? There's still time to back out, right now."

"I'm sure, Ed," Susan replied while looking at Caspian, who smiled at her.

"Are you absolutely sure?" Peter asked, more in jest than anything else.

"More sure than anything else, Peter," Susan said, rolling her eyes. She and Caspian looked at each other again.

"Oh, Aslan!" Edmund raised his hands, mock appalled, "take them away from my sight! They're going to kill me!"

"Someone call a family meeting without me?" Lucy said, shocked, trying not to smile.

"Of course not, Lu," Peter said, "we'd never forget about our little baby sister."

"I'm seventeen years old, Peter, I hardly think I'm a baby or even little anymore," Lucy replied, linking arms with Edmund.

"You'll always be our baby sister, Lu," Edmund said.

"Even when you're fifty," Susan said.

"Even when you're using a walking stick and have grandchildren," Caspian interjected.

"So, Lu," Peter said, "who do you think would get married next?"

* * *

><p>Susan opened her eyes and sighed.<p>

This was it.

She was getting married.

Today.

Someone was knocking – well, more like banging – on her door. She stood up, placed on her robe, and opened the door.

"Good morning!" Lucy smiled at her, carrying a tray of food, Irene was behind her, carrying a linen sack. Both entered the room before Susan could respond, Lucy adding cheerily, "we are here to get you ready for the big ceremony."

"I didn't expect anything else," Susan said.

"Everyone else has eaten," Irene said as Lucy placed the tray on the table in front of the fireplace, "and the bride and groom get their breakfast in bed. Peter and Edmund are with Caspian right now."

"No doubt still trying to scare him off," Susan said, rolling her eyes as she proceeded to eat.

"This is going to be where we shall be preparing you for your wedding," Lucy said, "I asked a centaur, Leilani, to prepare your hair, she should be up here any moment now, but first, eat and then take a bath."

Leilani, the centaur, arrived while Susan was taking a bath, and the two women laid out the dresses on the bed, their own and Susan's. By the time Susan was done, the centaur had finished styling Lucy's and Irene's hair. Lucy had her hair half tied, and then curled, her crown placed on top of her head. Irene's hair, since it was short, was simply curled at the tips.

"Irene, you go get changed first," Lucy instructed as Susan came out the washroom, wearing a bathrobe.

Irene followed her instruction, and when she emerged, from the washroom, she saw that there were two more women in the room. They both had long brown hair and green eyes, both wore a long light blue gown, the color of violets, and on their heads were crowns of flowers.

Lucy, seeing her face, explained, "this Talia and Maila, dryads."

The two dryads faced Irene and curtsied.

"They're here to put cosmetics and perfumes on us," Lucy said and went to get changed in the washroom.

When preparations on her hair and face were done, Susan was helped by Lucy and Irene into her wedding dress. She looked to the mirror, her crown on her head, and her hair curled beautifully, she felt absolutely marvelous.

"You look absolutely gorgeous, Susan," Irene said, barely able to contain her delight.

"Thank you, Irene," Susan said nervously, "_now_, I'm nervous."

"Don't worry, your majesty, King Caspian won't be able to take his eyes off you," Leliani said as the other two dryads nodded.

Susan's smile grew wider, "I hope so, because I'll only be looking at him."

Irene rolled her eyes with Lucy, and said, "I'll go check on preparations outside."

"I hope they're doing alright out there," Susan said, nervously fidgeting on her seat.

"Susan," Irene said before leaving, "you worry too much."

"I know," Susan replied, biting her lip, "Lucy tells me all the time."

Irene stepped out of the room and nearly bumped into Edmund, who had held her arms to stop the collision. He was wearing a shiny black, V-neck tunic with blue embroidery, a blue belt, black trousers, black boots and a silver cloak, as usual, on his head was his silver crown.

"Oh, hello there," Irene said stepping sideward for more space, "are you here to see Susan?"

Edmund was staring at her.

She had to call out twice before he looked away, his face somewhat red.

"Are you ill?" Irene asked, concerned for the Just King.

"I'm alright," Edmund said looking at the door, "is she ready?"

"Yes, she's a bit nervous," she answered, "but, I guess, everyone would be on their wedding day. Excuse me."

"Where are you going?" Edmund called out when she was near the end of the hallway.

"I'm checking on how things are going in the Grand Hall and out in the gardens," she shouted back, not turning.

She easily found her way to the Grand Hall. She had familiarized herself with not only her surroundings, but even with the people in the castle.

"Peter," she said as she came up behind the High King.

He was wearing something similar to Edmund, but his cloak was gold instead of silver, like Edmund, he wore his crown on his head.

"There you are, Irene," Peter said as he turned towards her, he smiled upon seeing her, "you look amazing."

She could feel the heat in her cheeks, and wanted to look down for a moment, but simply replied with a smile, "thank you," clearing her throat, she said, "how are the preparations?"

"Perfect," Peter said, looking around the room.

Some of Narnians had already arrived, both humans and animals, seated on wooden benches. Irene was amazed at the variety of people in the room, she still couldn't quite get over the whole thing, even though she'd been there almost three weeks. There were several rows of wooden benches, and only four columns, making an isle in the middle, lined with different blue flowers. At the front was an archway made of wood, wrapped with vines and blue flowers.

"You'll be sitting at the front, Irene," Peter said and pointed, "right over there."

"Are you sure?" Irene asked looking at Peter, "I'm not family."

"But you are a friend," Peter said, smiling at her.

Irene looked at Peter, surprised, and then she smiled.

"Why are you so kind to me?" She asked after a moment.

Peter looked at her, surprised at her question.

"I mean, you could've given me any room, and yet you gave me that big room, you could've given me overly used clothes, and yet you people even bought me new ones," Irene elaborated, "you could've just fed me bread and water, and yet you give me a feast," at that point, her voice was cracking and her vision was blurring because of the tears in her eyes.

Peter made a move towards her, worried.

"I'm sorry," Irene said, clearing her throat, looking up and blinking to make her tears go away, "excuse me,"

Bowing to Peter, she left the Grand Hall and went to the gardens, which was mostly empty.

She took a seat on one of the benches and let out a breath, closing her eyes.

God, she hated being emotional like that, without any reason.

"Irene," a deep voice said behind her. The voice made her feel warm inside and she immediately got a clue as to who it was.

"Aslan?" She whispered as she saw a huge lion behind her.

"Yes, My child," he replied, he walked around the bench and stopped in front of her.

"Oh, Aslan!" She cried, impulsively hugging the Great Lion.

When she was calm again, she sat back on the bench, feeling as if a great weight was lifted from her shoulders.

"Aslan, I've been so confused," Irene said, "so afraid," she inhaled, "why am I here?"

"Irene, there are things that only you can do."

"What things?"

"You will find out, Irene, in time," He said, "be patient, little one."

"Am I supposed to go with Lucy and Edmund to Calormen?"

"Yes," He said, "your purpose here will be clear in time."

"I'm afraid, Aslan."

"As are all people when put in situations they do not understand."

"I don't think I can help these people, Aslan," Irene said worriedly, "I'm just one person. I don't know how to fight," she jokingly added, "I can't even ride a horse," becoming serious again, "I'm terrified of many things."

"Face your fears, child," Aslan replied, breathing on her, "nothing can be done when you just run."

Irene felt a wave of reassurance, and soon, she felt alright once again.

"Irene!"

She turned to see Edmund, going to where she was. When he saw Aslan, a look of surprise crossed his face and he knelt on one knee.

"Rise, King Edmund," Aslan said.

"We did not expect to see you, Aslan," Edmund said as he came closer.

"It is a joyous occasion, My son," Aslan replied, "I would want to be here for that celebration."

"Looks like Peter's not going to be minister after all," Edmund said with a smile as he led Irene and Aslan back into the castle.

Upon entering the Great Hall, Edmund and Irene went to the side and Aslan entered. At the sight of the True King of Narnia, all Narnians knelt, and only stood when Aslan was under the archway.

The door opened once again to admit in Caspian. He was dressed regally, wearing a shining blue tunic with black embroidery. He had a black belt around his waist; he wore black trousers and black boots. His cloak was the same color as his tunic, and his crown was golden, set on top of his head.

He walked down the isle, greeting people here and there, but once he got to his place after kneeling in front of Aslan, he couldn't seem to stop fidgeting.

"He's so nervous," Irene whispered to Edmund.

"I can only imagine," Edmund whispered back.

Irene could only smile as she observed the Telmarine King.

"Are you ready for tomorrow?" Edmund said beside her, no longer whispering.

"I think I am," she answered, "I've packed all my stuff, which isn't really much, so I think I'll be fine tomorrow."

"Have you ever been on a ship?"

"Small boats, yes," Irene replied, "but a big ship? No, not yet."

"Well, do you get sick easily?"

"Depends, I guess."

"On what?"

"The condition of the surroundings."

The conversation ended for Lucy came inside, signaling Susan's arrival outside.

"Edmund!" Lucy called motioning for her to join her, "we'll be walking Susan down the isle."

Edmund smiled and excused himself from Irene to go outside with Lucy. Irene made her way to the front using the side isle, standing and waiting for the Pevensie siblings to enter.

The door opened and the music started. Edmund walked in, moments later he was followed by Lucy. Behind them was Susan, to her right was Peter, arms connected.

Susan's dress was simple yet elegant. It was made of white silk and had a small train. There was blue embroidered on the torso, and then flowed with her every moment from the waist down. It had a wide V-neck, and long sleeved, flaring at the wrist. Her bouquet was a mixture of blue and white flowers.

Yet, even if the dress was beautiful, it didn't seem to matter, when Narnians saw her, they saw her face and that she glowed with happiness. But even with all the people in the room, Susan and Caspian seemed to only see each other.

Irene looked at Caspian and she felt an overwhelming urge to cry. Someday, she wanted someone to look at her like that.

She felt a stinging in her eyes, and before she could stop it, tears were flowing down her cheeks.

"Are you alright?" Lucy said beside her.

"Yes, yes." Irene breathed, "I'm fine."

"You're getting more emotional than me," Lucy teased, "it _is_ my sister's wedding, you know."

Irene had to laugh despite her tears. She looked at Edmund, and she saw that he was looking at her, too. He gave a nod, which she returned with a smile.

Peter and Susan reached Caspian, Peter exchanged a few words with Caspian, but the Telmarine King only looked at his bride. With Susan and Caspian holding hands and facing Aslan, Peter joined them at the side, next to Edmund.

"Narnians, we are here today to witness the union of the Son of Adam and Daughter of Eve, the King and Queen of Narnia, King Caspain X and Queen Susan Pevensie the Gentle," Aslan's voice resonated around the room, and all were quiet, the music had lulled down to a soft, barely heard melody.

Aslan kept the ceremony short, there was talk of how a man treats his wife, and how a woman should respect her husband, but at last the most important part came.

"Do you, King Caspian X, Son of Adam, King of Narnia, take this woman as your wife?"

Caspian smiled, "I wholeheartedly do."

"Then repeat after me," Aslan said.

Looking at Susan, Caspian repeated, "I, King Caspian X, Son of Adam, King of Narnia, take you, Queen Susan Pevensie the Gentle, Daughter of Eve, Queen of Narnia, as my wedded wife. With the deepest joy, I take you into my life and that we may be one. I will be to you a loving and faithful husband. I promise you my deepest love, my fullest devotion and my most tender care. I promise to lead our lives in hope and faith in Aslan, the One True King of Narnia, ever honoring His guidance, even in the darkest of times, may these promises prevail. And so, throughout life, no matter what may lie ahead of us, I pledge to you my life as a loving and faithful husband."

"Do you, Queen Susan Pevensie the Gentle, Daughter of Eve, Queen of Narnia, take this man as your husband?"

Susan looked at Caspian, she had tears in her eyes, "I do."

"Then repeat after me," Aslan said.

She smiled at Caspain and repeated, "I, Queen Susan Pevensie the Gentle, Daughter of Eve, Queen of Narnia, take you, King Caspian X, Son of Adam, King of Narnia, as my wedded husband. With the deepest joy, I come into my life with you. As you have pledged to me your life and love, so I, too, happily give you my life. I promise to love you, to be devoted to you, and to give you my most tender care. I promise to follow you as you lead our lives in hope and faith in Aslan, the One True King of Narnia, ever honoring His guidance, even if all else fails, may these promises prevail. And so, throughout life, no matter what may lie ahead of us, I pledge to you my life as a loving and faithful wife."

Aslan breathed on both, ending the ceremony with, "King Caspian, you may now kiss your bride."

And among their family, friends and subjects, he did.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Well, now that the wedding is over, what do you think? Because I really want to hear your opinion on it =) Please review and I promise I'll update sooner =)


	6. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: **So, here it is! The fifth chapter! =) I hope you guys like it =) Oh, and please do review =)

I thank my beta, **Evanescence2189**, for correcting my mistakes. Much thanks goes to you =)

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER 5<strong>

**SET SAIL FOR CALORMEN**

After the ceremony had finished, the guests were ushered into the reception area in the main ballroom. Irene marveled at the sight of Narnians and Telmarines dancing, eating, laughing, all enjoying the lively music being made.

"Milady," Peter said, offering his arm. She took it in what she hoped was a grateful manner.

"Thank you, King Peter," Irene replied slightly cheekily, giving a grin. He led her outside, where the reception still continued in the gardens that had been decorated for the wedding.

"Now, Milady, you shall experience your first Narnian party," Peter said with a smirk.

"Is it as wild as your tone seems to suggest?"

"Oh, much," Peter said. He waggled his eyebrows jokingly, making her laugh. Lucy and Edmund followed closely behind them, their arms linked together as they talked and laughed with Peter and Irene.

Peter led them to the center of the gardens, where several tables had been laid out for the event. And to the left was a more isolated table with only two chairs for the recently wed. Fauns, naiads, and dryads were playing their pipes at the entrance of the clearing.

Before they were able to sit, they heard a round of applause as Caspian and Susan entered, holding hands as Aslan led them. As the two made their way through, they accepted congratulations from various guests. It took them a while, but they finally reached the front, where Aslan was already seated in front of their table. And after long, food was served hot and most delicious, even by Narnian standards.

"This is excellent!" Irene exclaimed in the middle of her meal.

"Well, beavers cooked it," Peter said. "They definitely have a gift for cooking."

The other two nodded their agreement.

The music changed, and everyone stopped eating to watch the newly-weds dance.

"They look very happy," Irene commented as she watched the couple dance.

"Not just _look_, they _are_," Lucy sighed, happy for her sister.

After a few minutes, Peter stood and replaced Caspian, who then danced with Lucy. After a few more minutes, Edmund stood and replaced Peter, who then danced with Lucy, leaving Caspian in want of a partner.

Irene had gone back to eating, occasionally drinking wine, and so a hand appeared in her view and she looked up to see Caspian.

"Would you like to dance, milady?" He said smiling.

"Shouldn't you be dancing with Susan?"

"I've been usurped by her brothers," Caspian sighed as he glanced at his dancing bride.

"All right," Irene agreed taking his offered hand, "but I cannot guarantee the safety of your toes." He laughed and led her to the dance floor.

"Just follow my lead, Irene."

The music changed, and she found herself following Caspian in what seemed to be the Narnian version of a waltz, similar in step but somewhat more peculiar in rhythm. It took her a few minutes to adjust, but Caspian was patient, talking her through the steps for a while.

"I must say, you're doing all right," Caspian said.

"Thank you, Caspian," she replied as he twirled her under his arm. "I'm somewhat familiar with the dance, I suppose."

"That's good then," he commented as she returned from her twirl. "You would survive court life."

"Hardly, but congratulations, Caspian. I'm very happy for you," she said with a smile.

"Thank you, Milady," Caspian said, he glanced at Susan and continued. "I'm just about to burst with joy."

They talked while the music and dance continued, but when it was over, Peter had approached to replace Caspian.

"I must get back to my bride, Milady," Caspian's smile grew wider at the prospect of returning to Susan. He placed her hand on Peter's as the music started.

"So, High King Peter, to what do I owe the honor for this dance?" Irene said as she raised an eyebrow at the High King. The dance started with a bow and a curtsy, but she was a bit late to that and hurried through the curtsy.

"I'm sorry, I don't know this dance," she added.

"Nor I," Peter said. "I never really danced at balls, except for the dances I knew. Even then, I only danced with Susan and Lucy."

Irene followed Peter's lead, and she looked at the other women to imitate their movements.

"So, I'm a last resort then, am I?" Irene teased, trying to look offended, but the corner of her lips quirked into a smile.

"Not at all," Peter answered.

"I hope not."

"Are you ready for tomorrow?" Peter asked after a few moments.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Irene said. "There's nothing more that can be done, really."

"I hope that you'll be all right on your journey," Peter smiled. "Be careful."

"I will," Irene said. "I even think I'm the one who's going to keep people out of trouble."

"Somehow, I could believe that."

"Though I may slip up, especially in official meetings. Do I even get to go to those?"

"Yes," Peter answered, "I've prepared a letter for your arrival. It says that a Lady Irene Cade will be accompanying Queen Lucy and King Edmund of Narnia."

"So, I'm a 'Lady' now?" Irene said, looking at Peter in disbelief, nearly stopping the dance. "Isn't that lying or something?"

"I'm the High King of Narnia," Peter said, as if that would explain everything. "Besides, I don't know if you've noticed, but that's what the people in the Cair call you."

"I thought that's just how they call every other guest here," Irene said, "just like how they call people 'Sir.' Just like how people in our world call others 'Miss' or 'Mister'."

"Not everyone, Lady Irene," Peter shrugged.

"When you call me that, somehow," she sighed. "I feel like I'm an imposter or something."

"But it's true!" Peter laughed, "I don't see why you object to it. You are a lady aren't you?" She gave him a dry look.

"I'm not objecting to it," Irene said. "I just don't see why you had to do it."

"So you like it?"

"Not entirely," Irene argued, "I just feel like I should have done something to deserve such an honor. Like save people from a war, or what not. Appearing in Narnia and staying here with no responsibilities does not deserve the title of a Lady."

"Think of it as...as…" Peter looked to the side, thinking of a word, "as an investment."

"For what?"

"That you'll help us," Peter said, "like a payment received early."

"That's an odd way to go about it."

"You are not in Spare Oom," he reminded. "People here go about things in ways that would seem odd to you."

The song ended and Irene and Peter went back to the table, where Edmund was sitting. Lucy happened to be dancing with Trumpkin, who seemed fairly uncomfortable with the situation.

"Shouldn't you be dancing?" Irene said to Edmund as she sat down.

"Shouldn't you?" He returned, looking at Peter.

"Scarcity of partners," Peter reasoned as he sat.

"There're a ton of partners all around, Peter," Edmund smirked, motioning to the guests.

"You know what I mean, Ed," the older man replied. "I can't dance without starting a rumour that the whole of Narnia is sure to hear."

Irene looked at Peter, her expression asking him to elaborate.

"Really, Irene, I do not exaggerate," Peter said.

"He isn't," Edmund nodded in support.

"You should hear some of the things people say," the High King explained, he leaned forward and in a high-pitched voice he continued. "'Have you heard? King Peter has danced with my daughter, I shall wait for the day when my daughter is consort to the High King.' Or 'High King Peter may have found himself a wife! I saw him dancing with so-and-so at the ball,' or 'he danced two sets with who?' People are insane." He sat back on his chair.

"It's just a dance!" Irene exclaimed. "People take it that seriously here?"

"Even more," Edmund said, cringing.

"Nonetheless, it looks to me that Narnia is not as different as our world," Irene said, watching the dances.

There were some really interesting pairs. A dryad and a centaur, a badger and a dwarf, a naiad and a faun, a human with a beaver, and even a Minotaur and a human. Talk about variety.

"Will you dance again?" Edmund asked.

"Probably not," Irene said.

"You don't like to dance?" Peter looked at Irene curiously.

"Not really," she replied. "Back in England, I didn't often dance like this."

"You said you were an engineering student, right?" The Just King interjected.

"Yeah, I studied a lot about how things work. I didn't really have time for things like this," Irene said, getting carried away as she thought about England. "But Michael was into that kind of things, gatherings and parties, I mean."

"You often mention Michael," Peter observed, "who is he?"

Irene hadn't realized that. She swallowed, and then answered.

"A distant relative."

There was silence.

Peter opened his mouth to ask another question, but Irene stood up.

"I'm going to get more food, delicious stuff." She walked away, and after she was out of earshot, Edmund commented.

"She's really uncomfortable with that topic."

"Do you know who he is?" Peter asked, quite curious.

"'A distant relative,'" Edmund quoted. "She never elaborates on it."

"Sounds intriguing," Peter said, now very much wanting to uncover the mystery.

"What are you two up to?" Lucy said, coming back from her dance with Trumpkin.

"Do you know who Michael is?" Edmund asked, looking at Lucy.

"Irene's distant relative. Why?" she asked after sipping her wine.

"But don't you wonder who he is exactly?" asked Peter. "I know I do."

"Ask her then," Lucy suggested.

"She doesn't want to explain, it seems," Edmund explained. "She always finds a way to leave or change the subject, or she just stays quiet."

"Then maybe you shouldn't be talking about it," said the Queen. "It doesn't seem to be an issue with Irene. Just keep out of it."

"Oh, it's definitely an issue with Irene," said the eldest as he leaned back on his chair. "She's uncomfortable with the subject, so it must be an issue."

"You two are going to get her very angry if you keep digging like this," Lucy scolded.

"We care for the girl," Edmund shrugged. "We just want to know what is bothering her."

"No, you just want to satisfy your curiosity," Lucy admonished. "Really, if you two care about her, stop talking about it."

"Stop talking about what?" Irene asked as she came back to the table, carrying a plate of food.

"We've already stopped talking about it, you're a little late," Edmund smirked.

Lucy stood and, unnoticed by Irene, glared at both her brothers, mouthing. "You stop whatever you're thinking of!"

"I'm going to go greet some people," said Lucy aloud, rather strongly. She glared at the two brothers again. "I'll be back in a while."

When Lucy left, Edmund stood and extended his hand to Irene.

"Dance with me?"

"Edmund," Irene said, stopping her fork midway to look pointedly at him. "I'm eating."

"Well, that can wait," Edmund said. After a short moment's hesitation, she ate what was on the fork and stood.

"One dance, and then I'm going back to my food."

"Whatever you wish, Milady," Edmund said with a smirk. He bowed slightly, before extending his arm to her and led her into the fray of merrymaking Narnians.

"So, Irene," Edmund said. "Tell me about yourself."

"You're becoming way too curious for our level of friendship again, King Edmund," Irene sighed.

"I'm trying to deepen our friendship," Edmund replied, smiling. "And you don't have to call me that unless we're in polite company."

Irene looked at him, trying to figure out what he was up to. She took a deep breath in preparation.

"I lived in Hertfordshire, when I was a child, with my parents and older brother," she began as they moved past a swaying couple.

"When my parents died, I lived with one of our relatives on my mother's side, and my brother lived with our father's relatives."

"How did your parents die?" Edmund asked after a few moments.

Irene looked at him, and then looked away, taking a few moments to answer.

"In a fire."

"And they separated you and your brother?"

"Our relatives didn't want two children, just one," she replied, clenching her teeth.

"Are you in contact with him?"

"Not really."

"That is very tragic, then."

Irene glanced at Edmund once again, what was he doing?

"Are you going anywhere with these questions, Edmund?" Irene questioned, glaring at the youngest King.

"Not at all," said Edmund, his face neutral. "Just trying to get to know you."

A while later when she had turned, she faced the table of Susan and Caspian. The two were looking at her and smiling as if they knew something she didn't, which they probably did.

"Don't mind them," Edmund said as he saw where she had looked. "It's probably just a newlywed thing."

"Thing?" Irene commented with a raise of a brow.

"Yes, it's a thing," Edmund sighed and shrugged. "They feel all special because, you know, they just got married."

Irene laughed shortly, and they slowed with the music that came to a steady close. They curtsied and bowed, and he led her back to the table, where her food—and Peter—was waiting.

"You left me alone," Peter said in a teasing manner, but he still shifted his eyes warily. "It was quite awkward; women were glancing my way and giggling." Irene laughed again and took her seat.

The reception lasted well into the afternoon, and by the looks of it, things were definitely going to continue until sundown. Three-legged stands supporting a large bowl were brought out and placed along the pathways, near the tables.

"Is the reception going to be until dinner?" Irene asked worriedly as she saw the stands being brought out.

"Yes," Edmund said as he looked around, and brought a goblet near his lips. The crowd had hardly diminished, and it actually looked to be even bigger than the one at noon.

"It'll probably even last until well after dinner," he added, taking a swig of wine.

The sun was starting to set, and the torches were brought out to light the logs on the stands.

"I think I'm going to go," Irene said as she stood up.

"Why?" Lucy asked in concern. "You haven't eaten dinner yet."

"I've eaten so much that I won't go hungry until noon tomorrow," Irene joked nervously.

"Are you sure?" Peter inquired. "You're going to miss the best part."

"I've seen enough." Irene smiled uneasily.

"Are you ill?" Edmund asked as he saw her hands and lips quivering.

"I'm just tired, that's all," Irene said weakly, starting to walk away.

"I'll take you there," Peter said, standing up and placing his hand on her back.

They walked into the castle fairly quickly, and Edmund made a mental note of how jittery she seemed.

* * *

><p>At last, the guests finally departed, and all that were left were the residents of Cair Paravel.<p>

Susan and Caspian had left early, right after dinner. They departed to a cottage near Glasswater Creek for their honeymoon. Amongst the siblings, for Caspian was now lawfully part of their family, the goodbyes were short. After a few jokes from Edmund, a few threats from Peter, and a fairly embarrassed goodbye from Lucy, they left.

"Well, life won't ever be the same," Lucy commented, as she sat at the table they occupied, while all around them, the people started to tidy up.

"One of us is married," Peter said. "Nothing's supposed to be the same."

"They're so in love, it's nauseating," said Edmund.

"You're going to be gone by the time they get back," Peter argued. "I'm the one who'll have to deal with them when they get back a week from now." He cringed at the thought. "Can you imagine how insufferable they'll be when they get back?"

"No," Edmund replied, "and I'm grateful I won't be here for that."

"That makes the both of us," Lucy said as she stood and yawned. "Good luck, Peter."

Edmund followed Lucy's lead and stood up. "Will you see us off tomorrow?"

"Of course," Peter smiled.

The two youngest Pevensie siblings left, walking arm in arm to the castle.

"Do you think we'll be all right, Edmund?" Lucy asked, unsure all of a sudden. "In Calormen, I mean."

"We _will _be, Lucy," Edmund said, confident. "We have Aslan with us, remember?"

Lucy smiled, hearing about Aslan always made her calm.

"Thank you, Edmund," Lucy smiled when they stopped in front of her room, "for letting me take the lead on this trip."

"It's your trip, Lu," Edmund said, "it was from the very start. I'll be there simply as an adviser." Lucy bit her lower lip, nervous once again. But she sighed, and calmed herself.

"I'll see you tomorrow, then, Ed."

"Goodnight, Lu," she heard Edmund say as she entered her room.

"Goodnight, Ed," Lucy replied as she closed the door.

After changing, she lay on her bed, thinking about the days next couple of days. What was she going to do? Would she succeed? Would she be able to help the Narnian soldier? What happened exactly? With those questions and imaginary answers swimming in her head, she fell asleep.

* * *

><p>There a very loud knocking on Irene's door, and she groaned as she opened her eyes.<p>

Who in Aslan's name was that?

She rolled out of bed and landed on the floor on all fours. She slowly stood, the banging on the door getting faster and faster. The room was still dark, which meant that there was still a very long time before the sun would rise.

"Are you kidding me?" Irene growled as she opened the door.

"We're leaving!" Lucy exclaimed, ushering Irene to change. "Goodness, you are so hard to wake up, you know that? I've been knocking on your door for a while."

"More like banging on it," Irene corrected.

Lucy scoffed, and then shook her head. "Do you want to wear trousers or a dress?"

Irene looked at Lucy. "You're allowed to wear trousers here?"

"Of course," Lucy said, as if it was common knowledge. That was when Irene noticed that the younger woman had her hair tied up in a tail. She wore a white long sleeved shirt, which was tucked into her grey trousers and were secured into a pair of black boots.

"It's practical for journeying by ship. But it is not so accepted on the mainland."

She handed Irene the bundle she was carrying and ushered her to the washroom. She came out wearing much the same clothes as Lucy.

"You wouldn't happen to have a big handkerchief would you?" Irene asked, running her hand through her hair.

"They're already on the ship," Lucy replied, motioning to a direction.

Irene sighed and tugged on her shoulder length hair. It was still black, but her hair was growing, meaning that her real hair color was starting to show. She had noticed it yesterday, when she finally got a good look at herself in the mirror.

"Let's go," Lucy said as Irene tried to fix her bed.

She took one last look at the bedroom and, with a sigh, closed the door.

They met up with Edmund and Peter at the beach, where a small boat was waiting for them. The _Aurora_ was anchored farther away.

"Well, this is it, Lu," he said, looking affectionately at Lucy, "I hope you do well."

"Me, too," Lucy replied, a moment later, she was hugging her brother tight. "I'm going to miss you."

"So am I, Lu," Peter whispered against her forehead. "But you'll have to write." He looked at his younger brother and Irene.

"I expect you two to write as well," he continued, releasing Lucy. "I don't care if it's about the same thing, it's better to hear it from different perspectives."

"Yes, sir," Irene teased, making a mock salute to the High King. Peter gave Irene a sisterly hug, and she returned it.

"I'm going to miss our walks in the gardens," she whispered as she pulled back.

"Same here," Peter said smiling at her.

"You'll just have to find a substitute until I get back," Irene joked.

Lucy was climbed into the boat, along with the oarsmen. Edmund helped Irene get on the boat, and she sat next to Lucy.

"You take care of them, all right, Ed?" Peter said hugging his brother. "I'm counting on you."

"Of course I will," Edmund replied.

"Write to me, all right?" The High King reminded.

"You're beginning to sound like Su," Edmund teased as he climbed onto the boat, "Maybe you _should _find yourself a wife."

"Goodbye, Ed," Peter replied in a monotone.

The boat gave a lurch backward, and Irene attempted to accustom herself to the gentle (or not so gentle) bobbing of the vessel. When she did, Peter was a dot on the shore, and the _Aurora_ was getting closer.

The sky was starting to lighten up by the time they reached the side of the ship. A board was lowered, attached by two ropes. Lucy and Irene stepped onto it and were carried aboard. Irene felt as if she were on an elevator. It was slightly more disturbing though, looking down at the cold, green-blue water.

"Your majesties," the Captain said, bowing to Edmund and Lucy.

"Milady," he nodded to Irene. Irene managed to give a small smile.

"Irene, this is Drinian, captain for our trip," Edmund introduced. "Drinian, this is Lady Irene." The Captain bowed, and Irene hesitantly did the same.

"Let's set sail," Lucy instructed.

As Lucy and Edmund spoke with Captain Drinian, Irene leaned against the ship's railing, watching as the crew worked. They were taking the anchor up, and fixing the sails on the ship. There was a strong wind, so Irene guessed that they'd get far that day.

As the sun began to rise, Irene felt the ship start to move. Lucy came up beside her, and both women watched Cair Paravel disappear from view.

"How many days will we be at sea?" Irene asked. "How far is Calormen, anyway?"

"We'll be at sea for at least two weeks, if the weather's kind enough," Lucy commented, looking up as if the sky would give a sign of what the weather would be like in the next couple of days, she frowned. "A month and a half, if we're unlucky."

"We'll also be docking at ports every now and then," Edmund added, joining the conversation. "And that'll probably take a day or two at each port."

"Are you serious?" Irene asked, stunned. "Two weeks at sea?"

She had thought that they'd be there in a week at most, and then she remembered that it was a _wooden ship_, with paddles, oars and sails.

"Well, I guess we'll just have to keep ourselves busy then," Irene said, as she walked away from the railing, and thought, _before we all get bored and kill each other off._

Lucy curiously looked at Irene, well, more the top of her head. "Is your hair…?"

"What about it?" she said.

"It's growing red at the roots," Edmund observed.

"My hair's getting longer," Irene explained. "The hair dye doesn't cover newly growing hair."

"Hair dye?" Lucy inquired curiously.

"Yes, hair dye," Irene confirmed. "It's a chemical to change your hair color."

She paused, looking down, before returning her gaze upward.

"Which now reminds me to ask you for that handkerchief."

If Lucy or Edmund didn't know what hair dye was, they didn't speak up. Lucy turned and ushered Irene to follow.

They went below deck, and down a corridor with three rooms. There were two doors to the right and one on the other side.

Lucy entered one of the rooms, came out and checked the other before entering, and then returned a few moments later holding a big green handkerchief.

While Irene used the handkerchief like a bandana, Lucy showed her to her room, which was the last in the small corridor.

"What are all these?" Irene asked as she saw the three extra trunks inside the room, beside the one she had packed. She opened one of the trunks to find it full of clothes, and she sighed as she realized. "Did Susan—"

"Yes," Lucy answered the unfinished question. "She said you needed more clothes than you had, and she wanted to give them to you after they were made, so you couldn't object."

"That woman needs to spend her money on more important things," Irene joked as she rummaged through one of the trunks, she felt a smile on her tug on her lips as she looked through each of the trunks, _I guess I really like Susan, she's a good person_. She paused as she saw the dresses in the third trunk.

_A bit extravagant, though_.

* * *

><p>The rest of the day was spent mostly on planning the course of the trip with the captain. The winds were cooperative, and they were sailing smoothly towards Calormen.<p>

In the afternoon, Irene was on deck, basking in the sun and leaning on the railing.

"So, not seasick yet?" Edmund asked as he joined her, leaning on the railing.

Irene had been doing absolutely nothing the entire day, and she was not at all exaggerating. The planning with Captain Drinian made absolutely no sense to her, and she couldn't help but drift off and not pay attention.

"No," Irene sighed, her boredom showing in her tone. "But I wish I was, then I'd at least be trying to get better," she sighed once again before continuing.

"I have absolutely nothing to do."

"Maybe you should've bought things to entertain you," he suggested.

"Well," she sighed. "I thought I could hold out for a week."

Edmund studied her face as she threw her head back and groaned. She let out a long breathe, and she faced the horizon, where the sun was already setting. The widening of her eyes and the quivering of her lips didn't go unnoticed.

"Are you going to light torches tonight?" she inquired, not taking her eyes off the horizon. "Will that not burn the ship?"

Edmund looked up, "It's cloudy, so the crew will need the light. It's lamps we'll be lighting, anyway, completely safe." He looked at her and saw that she seemed to be debating with herself, when a man carrying a torch came nearby and Edmund saw Irene flinch as she saw it. She quickly went below deck, presumably to her room.

He stayed on deck, watching as the man lit the lamps at the side of the ship. His eyes widened as he came upon a realization.

* * *

><p>The Just King went below deck, carrying a tray of food in one hand and a lamp in the other.<p>

Irene had not eaten dinner with them in the small dining room the ship had, which also served as the conference room.

When he got in front of her door, he managed to balance the tray and the lamp in one hand and knocked on the door. He heard a shuffling of feet inside and the door was soon opened by a groggy Irene.

"Supper?" he suggested, raising the tray.

She hesitantly nodded, and when it was clear the he wouldn't just give her the tray, she moved aside and let him in.

He set the tray down on the window's wide frame, and the lamp beside it. There was a chair next to the window, and he assumed that that was where she had been sitting before he came in.

There was another chair in the room, in the corner, across the bed. He sat on it, he saw that she had looked at him oddly before taking a seat on the chair by the window, moving the chair to face him, and she slowly proceeded to eat. He didn't let it slip that she had moved the lamp farther away from herself.

After a few moments of hesitation and silence, he finally asked the question he had been eager to know since earlier that night.

"Why are you afraid of fires?"

She stopped eating, and her fork clanged against the plate as she put it down to look at him. It took her a while to answer him, but when she did, she didn't deny it.

"You know why."

"Because of your parents' death?" She nodded slightly, looking out the window…then shifted her gaze to the lamp.

"I can deal with small fires like these, as long as they're in a container," she sighed, and looked down. "But big fires like the ones in fireplaces…and sometimes the ones on torches…I can't—" She inhaled, and then exhaled, unable to continue. Her lips were quivering and she closed her eyes.

He said nothing, waiting for her to continue.

She looked out the window again.

"I know it's a problem."

"Of course it's a problem," Edmund affirmed. "You won't be able to lead a normal life in Narnia if you're afraid of fire."

She looked at him, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. She whispered then, her voice shaky.

"I don't know what to do."

Edmund was silent. He actually didn't even know why he cared; this was obviously beyond his curiosity. But…

"Irene, I don't know how to help you." He swallowed. "But I will do my best to find a way."

"Thank you, Edmund," she smiled after a while. "But I think that _I _need to find a way to fix it myself. It is my problem after all."

"If that's how you see it," Edmund replied, understanding of her need for space. "But you're not alone." She had looked down, but quickly looked up when he had finished.

"What do you mean?"

"You just seem to always think so." He shrugged. "You prefer that people not do favors for you, or you seem to think of yourself as a burden for others who want to help."

Irene blinked, he was more observant than she cared—wanted—to acknowledge.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> So, what do you guys think? Irene has pyrophobia, so yeah. Review please!


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